Sex and Your Cycle: How Hormones Like Estrogen Affect Your Mojo

Ever wonder why sometimes you're beyond in the mood, while other times you couldn't feel less excited about sex? Well, you might have guessed that your periodyour entire menstrual cycle, and hormones like estrogen and testosterone, in facttotally affects your libido. We chatted with Cosmo Radio women's health expert, Jennifer Wider, M.D., to get the skinny on how it all goes down.

Your Cycle

Your Cycle

Each month, various hormonesgonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, just to name a fewdo a synchronized dance through your bod to create your menstrual cycle. Many women find that their sex drive is totally affected by these changing levels, specifically by shifts in estrogen and testosterone, over the course of their cycles, which typically last 28-30 days and can be broken down into four key weeks.

Week 1: Your Period

Week 1: Your Period

The first week of your cycle, you're surfing the crimson wave. While some women are down with having sex during this time of the month, your estrogen and testosterone levels are super low this week, so you most likely feel tired and not super down with jumping in the sack. Toward end of week though, hormones will start to rise again.